Blogs

Chess Club: This Too is the Work of the Church By Rev. John Merk Annette Winn Elementary School (AWES) is located across the street from the church I serve, Lithia Springs UMC. The school was named after a beloved principal and long-time member of the church. Currently, AWES is a Title I school serving 435 kids, of which 85 percent are on free or reduced meals. Many, if not most, of the students would be considered disadvantaged. The school is blessed, however,...

‘Making a Difference’ I Was Thinking… There were two old men living in the backwoods of east Texas named Rufus and Clarence. They lived on the opposite sides of the river and hated each other. Every morning just after sunrise, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell at each other. “Rufus,” Clarence would shout. “You better thank your lucky stars I can’t swim or I’d swim this river and whup you!” “Clarence!” Rufus would holler back. “You better ...

3D Journey A rich man's wife became sick. When her death was drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside. She said, "Dear child, remain pious and good, and then our dear God will always protect you, and I will look down on you from heaven and be near you." With this, she closed her eyes and died. The girl went out to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she remained pious and good. When winter came, the snow spread a white cloth over the grave, and when ...

I Was Thinking… I am enjoying many things about the Winter Olympics. The beauty of the snow and ice is breath-taking for this southern boy. The phenomenal athleticism of young women and men from all over our world is astounding. The thrill of common life, hope and possibilities regardless of nationality, ethnicity and religion is hope-filled and refreshing. Sharon enjoys ‘Figure Skating’ and I am in awe of ‘Ski Jumping’ and ‘Down Hill Skiing’. What are hidden in all of this wonder are the ...

I Was Thinking… I enjoyed the Super Bowl! It would have been better if the Falcons had returned and won…but nonetheless, it was great competition. Congratulations Eagle fans! I thought the ‘Tide’ commercials were the best thematic advertisements. Every bright white shirt, dress, slacks, and other clothing that I see this week might take me back to those ‘Tide’ ads. That is good associative advertising. A Toyota advertisement caught my attention. Perhaps you saw it. I was inspired by ...

Time to ReNew By Rev. Will Zant We recently introduced the Cannon congregation to a new team of folks at our church called our "ReNew Team." The team is made up of members who attend our 9:30 am contemporary service and together have developed a plan to renew that service. We have a good thing going in this service — an awesome band, new people, a vibrant atmosphere. The team would like to take the next step and bring new ideas to bear. Here's a little ...

Today, January 31 is the deadline for the End of Year Reports for our churches. In this report, churches will highlight its mission by the numbers. One of the many data items on the report is conference apportionments, the method of giving in our denomination that proportionally allocates the church-wide budget to the North Georgia Conference and local churches. Paying conference apportionments are very important, but, it becomes incredibly challenging for any church to pay the full amount...

I Was Thinking… Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that “Money often costs too much”. I have lived long enough to see that his words are profoundly true. I have known people who were very ‘well-to-do’ and yet not very happy. I have been the Pastor of people who had many zeros behind a number in their bank accounts but were relationally bankrupt and dying of loneliness. My heart has broken at the amount of integrity, family and friends that have been paid in order for someone to have more ...

For quite a while, I have been a frustrated violinist. I’ve had problems making pure, clear notes on my violin. It has been scratchy, at times not playing notes at all. I’ve replaced strings, used more rosin, then less. I even had my violin bow rehaired (yes it really is hair from a horse's tail). I reviewed my technique to make sure I was pulling the bow at the proper angle. Nothing seemed to work. Then I finally looked closely at my violin bow. They all have a graceful bow from the frog to the...

A few years ago, I was given a copy of a booklet entitled, "Born To Reproduce", by Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators. Every time I read it, the Holy Spirit speaks directly to my heart about the necessity of making disciples. You can find downloadable versions online by searching the title. As we continue to pray about WHO God is calling us to disciple, there is a simple prayer that Trotman encourages disciple-makers to pray. He simply prayed: Lord, ...